Sea No Evil 2012

Posted on July 4, 2012

On June 30th, 2012, Monster Media Inc. and PrintsOnWood played host for the Sea No Evil Art Show, a benefit to raise money for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: a.k.a. those cool rebels from Animal Planet’s “Whale Wars”. The event itself was held at the beautiful Riverside Municipal Auditorium, perfectly fitting the oceanic theme with its idyllic ponds and side gardens.

Captain Paul Watson was slated to appear, but is currently (even as I’m typing this) holed up in Germany or Costa Rica, awaiting trial or even imprisonment: all because of something that happened 10 years ago.

The show boasted some fantastic artists from the Southern California, and the auctions were successful. The crowd was treated to an inspiring video that showcased the Sea Shepherd crew’s latest efforts and how they saved a staggering 863 whales this past year from poaching. As a viewer who’s only seen a few episodes of “Whale Wars”, it was eye-opening to be exposed to the full global effort of the Sea Shepherd that we don’t always see in TV. However, most of these were not so charming to see: the slaughter of pilot whales on the Faeroe Islands, shark finning in Costa Rica, or the Japanese whaling ships invading the sanctuaries around the Arctic.

To round out the evening before the after-party, Capt. Peter Hammarstedt gave a motivating speech about the circumstances of Paul Watson: “Captain Paul Watson does not belong in a jail cell...he belongs at the helm of one of his ships.” Personally, I admired how any member of the crew always referred to Paul Watson as ‘Captain’ Paul Watson, confirming their loyalty beyond a doubt.

In spite of the sadness that some of these exposures caused, the art itself around the gallery was a joy to behold. There were quite a few plywood art pieces done by PrintsOnWood, all of them drawing good comments from the crowd. Here’s a few blurbs about some of the other art pieces that caught my eye in particular:

Kristen’s style is to personify plants, food, etc. into adorable creatures. The Bunga Bangkai is an exotic pink flower, and she formed the roots into a doe-eyed knobbly creature with the giant flower perched on top. Adorable to look at, and made me want to look up more of her art. :)

Gary Stokes - "Silent Hunter"
Satin Brush Aluminum
This piece stood out, mainly because it was eerily reflective compared to the paintings on either side. The background was a glassy, deep blue aluminum with whales, ships and grids layered on top.

Roland Tamayo - “Got My Back”
Acrylic & Ink on Wood
This piece sums up the mission of the Sea Shepherd perfectly without words. It shows a majestic sperm whale with the top deck of a vessel (possibly the Bob Barker) fused seamlessly onto its back. The title says it all: literally and metaphorically.

Sonia Shomalzadeh - "Whales" in Sand
Sand Art
There were only two photographs for this display, showing Sonia Shomalzadeh on the sand by a perfect recreation of (possibly life-size!) whales drawn in sand. As someone who also made drawings in the sand as a kid, I was over the moon with what I saw here. It was akin to watching an ice or a food sculptor: you may have tried it at one point, but you still wonder how in the world they do it.